And be sure to label the bag with the date and what's inside to make sure all that kale—and the energy you put into freezing it—doesn't go to waste. Kale defrosts pretty quickly, especially if you're only using a handful or so, but if you're thawing a larger amount, you can place the bag in a bowl of cool water to speed up the process. While previously frozen kale is perfect for cooked dishes and smoothies, it's less ideal for raw salads, kale chips or recipes that depend on the texture of fresh leaves.
Lauren Salkeld. Lauren Salkeld Updated November 01, Pin FB More. Really Green Smooothie. Kale-Butternut Squash Gratin. While many people purchase kale and go through heroics to use it fresh in salads, softening, salting, massaging, when kale is frozen the freezer does the work for you. You can the texture, once thawed, is still beautiful. There are pots called Blanchers that come with a wire mesh basket and cover, and if you regularly prepare items for the freezer it can be nice to have.
If you have a setup like a large pot with a pasta strainer, it will work well. So will any large metal strainer with enough room to hold the kate that will fit into a large pot with a lid.
At the very least you can do like I do. Just boil the kale directly in the pot and empty the pot, kale, and all into a large strainer set over another large pot in the sink. If using this method, which is slower and can potentially lengthen the time the kale spends in the hot water, even as you pour the kale into the strainer have the water running as cold as possible.
As soon as the kale is transferred pick up the strainer, still running the cold water over it and empty the pot underneath, replace the strainer in the pot in the sink and continue running the cold water over and into it. Ready for the freezer. Bring water up to a vigorous boil and lower kale into water. Add lid. The water should begin boiling again within 1 minute if not, there is too much kale for the amount of water.
Time for two minutes as soon as the water returns to a boil. Immediately plunge into cold or ice water when time is up, strain to remove excess water, spin if you can or spread the kale out on a clean kitchen towel and roll it up. Keeps well for 10 to 12 months in the freezer. Longer freezing is not a safety issue but may affect quality. Note: When preparing kale, chop into desired size, remaining aware that the kale will shrink when blanched.
The heavy stems may be removed and used or not. If not, save and add to smoothies and if using, finely chop and blanch with the rest of the kale. Keywords: Freezes Well, Kale, Preserving.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. We recommend it! Leafy greens can pick up a lot of dirt when it is windy or rainy, so give those leaves a thorough wash before freezing.
Then, make sure they get good and dry with a salad spinner. In fact, we prefer it because unblanched kale retains its texture well. However, one big advantage of blanching kale is that it takes up a lot less space in the freezer because the kale has wilted. To blanch kale: bring a large pot of water to boil, plunge in the kale for minutes, or until bright green and beginning to wilt.
Immediately plunge kale into an ice bath to stop cooking. In fact, freezing kale preserves its nutrients. It is loaded with just as many vitamins and minerals as the fresh stuff! Kale will easily last up to 6 months, and as much as a year, before you get any degradation in quality. Nope, no need! The kale will thaw very quickly in hot foods. Here are a few ideas we have for using your frozen kale:. At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel.
Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you. The easiest way to do this is to use your thumb and forefinger to pinch the stem firmly at the base of the leaves, then quickly slide your finger up the step the detach the leaves.
The leaves should pop right off. Chop the kale into bite sized pieces. Rinse the chopped leaves in a colander until no dirt or grime remains. Place your rinsed kale in a large pot or covered pan on the stovetop.
Firmly close the top of the pot or pan, turn on the burner, and bring to a simmer. While your kale is cooking, prepare a large bowl ice water about half cold water, half ice; you need plenty of ice because it will melt quickly one the hot kale is added , which is called an ice bath, and set it aside.
Once the kale is tender, but still bright green, drain excess water from the kale in a colander in the sink discard the boiling water down the drain. Immediately transfer your kale to the ice water, which halts the cooking process, retaining the texture, color, and nutrients of the kale. This type of cooking process then quickly stopping the cooking in an ice bath is called blanching. Leave the kale leaves in the ice water for about 2 minutes, until they feel cool to the touch.
Use a pair of tongs to transfer the cooled kale leaves to a dry paper towel or kitchen towel to dry completely. Once the leaves are dry, lightly grease or spray a muffin tin, then divide your kale into 12 portions and gently press each portion into a compartment of the muffin tin see note for instructions on using a cookie sheet instead. Freeze kale for roughly 2 hours until firm, then remove from the freezer. Transfer your frozen kale pucks from the muffin tin to a freezer-safe plastic bag or another airtight container.
For best results, make sure you get as much air as possible out of the container before storing. You can use your frozen kale for up to six months.
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